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Q: There’s a sign that can be seen from the 406 over the Welland River that says water protection zone. Why?

A: That’s one of the new signs in the region alerting emergency officials there’s a drinking water intake nearby.

If there’s a motor vehicle accident with a spill on the road in that area, first responders will know they should notify the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority because of the drinking water protection zone sign.

Spokesman Michael Reles said an emergency notification protocol would spring into action for agencies involved with drinking water, such as the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. Every effort would be made to try isolate the spill quickly.

The move stems from initiatives after the Walkerton Ontario tragedy in 2000, when deadly E. coli bacteria made its way into the municipal water system, leading to seven deaths and thousands of people getting sick.

Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority is responsible for implementing Ontario’s source water protection initiative in the NPCA watershed. Reles said there are 22 source water protection plans in the province, with most managed by the local conservation authorities.

He explained the initiative looks at where the water intakes are for our drinking water and studies what the human effects are on those intakes, such as nearby agriculture or streets.

The initiative studies the flow of water and designates intake protection zones based on how long it takes for water to get to the intake valve from a given spot.

The closer a contamination happens to the intake, the less chance it has to be diluted before reaching the intake.

The sign on Hwy. 406 over the Welland River is near the intake area for Welland’s drinking water supply.

It was one of two signs installed this month on Hwy 406 — the other is over Lake Gibson. The signs are put up in a joint venture between the NPCA, Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.

Reles said more signs will be put up by the Region of Niagara at other impact sites.

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Q: The portion of Taylor Road running down the escarpment has had Vac trucks working on the sewers for weeks now. What’s going on and why is it taking so long?